Kerala: ‘Man-eater’ tiger found dead in Wayanad district

The death of a woman led to protests and the state's declaration of a tiger as a man-eater.

A 'man-eater' tiger that killed a woman when she had gone to collect coffee beans in a forest-fringed estate two days ago was found dead in Kerala's high-range district of Wayanad in the early hours of Monday, forest officials said.

In the early hours of Monday, a'man-eater' tiger that murdered a lady two days ago when she went to gather coffee beans in a forest-ringed estate was discovered dead in Wayanad, a high-range area in Kerala, according to police. (PTI/representative)

The death of the woman triggered widespread protest in the area, forcing the state government to declare the tiger as a man-eater on Sunday and schedule it for culling.

Forest officials who were engaged in combing operation day and night to spot the animal, found it dead with deep injuries on its neck inside Pilakavu Estate by 2.30 am on Monday.

After verifying the stripe pattern of the carcass, officials confirmed that it was the same tiger that killed Radha, a 46-year-old woman, on Saturday and triggered widespread scare in the Pancharakolli area.

Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Northern Circle, KS Deepa, said the exact cause of this tiger's death could be ascertained only after a postmortem.

She said the forest officials were constantly monitoring its movements by examining the visuals of cameras installed in various spots in the area.

An attempt was made to tranquilise the big cat in the wee hours of Monday, but it didn't succeed, she said. Later that tiger was found dead in the Pilakavu area, she told reporters here.

Authorities had imposed a curfew in certain areas of Mananthavady Municipality on Sunday, following the fatal tiger attack on the woman.

Forest Minister A K Saseendran declared the tiger a man-eater following a high-level meeting at the district collectorate on Sunday.